Thing #5 - RSS/Google Reader

Okay, okay, I completed Thing #5. I have to say, I don't intend to use this service. People are creative and set up their blogs in a certain way for a reason. Reader strips all the creativity right out. I will not ever be in too much of a hurry to actually listen to (well, read their blogs in the originally designed fashion, in this case) people with whom I choose to communicate. Part of the interest for me in blog reading is feeling like I am invited into someone's parlor or kitchen or whatever, depending on the blog they have designed. If I choose to read it, I choose to accept that invitation. I wouldn't say, "Friends, I really don't have very much time to socialize with you. While I appreciate the invitation to your home, I think it would be easier for me to have you all come here and stand in my driveway and quickly run through whatever it is you think you have to say while I am walking out to my car or mowing my lawn or whatever." I love technology and connectivity, but I draw the line at this abberation.

Thing #4 - Registration

Perhaps this is the easiest of the 23 Things. All I had to do was shoot Sarah an email with a hyperlink. And yet...there is this lovely list of everyone's blogs and I simply must read and check them every day to see what is new. Oh, dear. :)

Blogging on Blogging

So, we have come to Thing #3. I have created this blog. I found using Blogger to be quite simple. I did choose to create a Gmail account as the primary for this blog as I don't care to have too much associated with my work email address. And, as I had a Gmail account for my family already, I went ahead and set up a blog for us at home, too. (If you are interested, we can be found at www.espressoyourfelines.blogspot.com). It wasn't hard to convince them to hop on board, either.

I am enjoying blogging. I like to write, so it is easy for me. The issues I have encountered are the same as some of the other bloggers--that is, I can't get Blogger to save my fonts and spacing, etc. correctly. I have not yet figured this out, but I will continue trying. All other aspects of working Blogger seem to be going quite smoothly.

The main issue that I have, though, is that I love it. I could devote lots of time to my blog and happily not even realize it until too late. My saving grace is that I write fast, and so it doesn't take me all that long to create entries. Still, I am also tempted to read everyone else's blogs, too. I have to be quite firm in reminding myself to "get back to work". OTOH, this is part of our work for right now, so I feel good about it in that regard. Learning is great!

Play!

Last but not least! I also struggle with this one. It isn’t that I don’t like to play. I just use the excuse that I don’t have time. I have work, a family to take care of, projects I am working on, and so on, and so on, and so on… I know the benefits, but I am going to have to build it into my schedule and keep the promise to do it. Who thought play could be such hard work!

Teach and mentor others

This is definitely the hardest of the 7 ½ things for me. I don’t mind sharing information, but I am not good at teaching at all. I am trying to share some good info in this blog, and I hope some of you readers find it helpful. I am really going to have to stretch myself to accomplish this one. I will keep thinking about it, and maybe set some goals.

Use technology to your advantage

This ties right in to the learning toolbox. We have fabulous resources at our disposal that we could only dream of 15 years ago. Pick a subject, and there is probably a website about it. Maybe several. Some of these sites lead you to written information on your subject, some have visual and oral presentations, and some will lead you to others who would like to discuss the subject with you. Some sites/programs I like:

• Fave Rave – Adobe Photoshop—fun and professional quality photo editing and restoration. The learning curve is high, but I love it, love it! It allows so much more creativity than other photo editing software that I have played with.
• Great Tech Website for general purposes – www.cnet.com Here you will find a wealth of technical information from forums to equipment reviews to blogs/news to free online courses (I haven’t taken any, but I plan to during the course of my 23 things)
• Best Place to learn/discuss Parenting issues – www.ivillage.com Talk to other parents on a variety of topics or find parents like you on the extensive bulletin boards on this site. This is a very easy-to-use, friendly, and well-moderated site. It would be a fine place to experiment with bulletin board use. There are many other discussion topics on the site, but I am only familiar with the parenting related ones.

Create your own Learning Toolbox

I scrapbook, and that’s how I relate to this one. I have to come up with an idea for a page (my goal) and then I have to gather my supplies that will allow me to make my page successfully (my toolbox), and boy was I filling my toolbox last night at Michael's in Asheville. They were having a great sale!

What I am beginning to learn is that tools aren’t always what you expect them to be. In some cases you need writing and archiving tools to help you complete your learning project. These could be as simple as a pen and paper for notes and a to-do list. Some new ideas I’ve been playing with, though, are online/computer resources. I have found many calendar sites out there, and Microsoft Outlook has one or you can make a printable calendar in Microsoft Word or Publisher. There are forums on just about anything where you can share your experiences and ask questions. Which brings me to a resource that I am going to try to learn to tap—people. I never really considered that people could be part of your toolbox, but now I see how that is a great idea. I just visited some gardening sites to find out if I could learn what I need to do to save my Christmas cactus. I ran across 2 or 3 that addressed my situation directly. Then, to further follow up on my weak area, I asked a co-worker in person. Not only did she confirm what I had read, she had more advice.

I really must consider people as a resource more often! Where else do you get to use people and they get to use you and everyone ends up happy and fulfilled :)

Accept responsibility/View problems as challenges/Have confidence

For these, I have the United States Marine Corps to thank. When I first had to say, “No excuse, ma’am,” I thought it was a bit silly. I thought to myself, of course if I had not done what was needed, it was because I had an excuse. But I came to realize that the point was that you don’t fiddle around with excuses—it isn’t necessary. You just stand up, take responsibility, and fix the problem. And, the problem IS really just a challenge and an opportunity to learn. There are no two ways about this. Every problem is a learning opportunity. It can teach you anything from a desire not to make that mistake a second time to thinking way outside the box to extract yourself from an undesirable situation.

And, have confidence—I didn't, but I found a way to gain it--What a gift! I was a pitifully shy kid. I would often cry if someone tried to talk to me. Now, I am a confident speaker who isn’t afraid to say what’s on her mind. I got this from the military, but I am in no way suggesting that this is the only way. Joining a book club would be a great low-key confidence builder for sharing ideas. Going back to school or taking a writing workshop also allows you to work on communicating your ideas to people who will listen.

Note to self: find a writing workshop around this area.

Beginning with the End in Mind

Of all the 7 1/2 things, this is my most recent acquisition. When I was at my mother-in-law’s house over Thanksgiving, she shared a DVD with us. Both my husband and I were reluctant to see it because we usually don’t spend time on self-help/inspirational videos, but we agreed to watch it because we love and respect her. Was I ever happy I did! The program was “The Secret” based on the book by Rhonda Byrne. Now, there has been plenty of Law of Attraction stuff floating around for years, but I was never able to embrace it. I always end up thinking of every negative scenario that could possibly happen—I think of it as prior planning. In the past year or so, though, I have begun to realize that despite my “prior planning”, I am still no better prepared for the negative things that come my way. Because of this video, I have decided to block my prior planning thoughts and concentrate on my goals as if there was a foregone conclusion that they would come to pass.

Currently, I am planning to learn to speak Spanish. It will be a third language for me, and I think it will open up a whole new world of communication. I hope I will be able to use in my work to serve patrons better. There are two six-week courses that I plan to take. Now, instead of thinking: “I can’t possibly learn a new language in just twelve weeks!” “I won’t be able to find anyone who is willing to be patient enough to speak to me while I am learning and when I make mistakes!” “The spoken language is usually so fast that I won’t be able to catch up!” I plan on welcoming the right teacher into my life when the time comes. I already know that I am a fast learner when it comes to language arts, so twelve weeks should be no problem if I am easy with my goal. I don’t need to be completely fluent to make a difference. It is hard work to plan for the good stuff, but I am finding it much more fun. As my husband says--

“Leap and a net shall appear!”

My 7 ½ Habits

Wow!

Yes, here I am trying to figure out how I relate to the 7 ½ habits of lifelong learning. I hadn’t heard of this particular set of ideas, but I find that I have been working with most of them separately for quite a while. Some come easily to me and I struggle with others. I tend to be a journaler, so I think I will explore my reactions and thoughts in writing in upcoming posts.

Thing #1 - Introduction

I am really looking forward to this. I think it may be the most fun training activity I have participated in at FRL. I also believe that libraries are struggling to incorporate newer technologies into their missions, and I will be excited to see how learning these skills will ultimately benefit our patrons. Reader's advisory? Blogging for PR? Online reference interviews? The sky's the limit!

Welcome to the Journey

Put on your comfy shoes and let's go

...every journey begins with the first step.

I am looking forward to sharing this journey with you.